Self-Printed: The Sane Person's Guide to Self-Publishing

by Catherine Ryan Howard

***2nd Edition, September 2012***

The only self-publishing guide with a No Saying "Gatekeepers" rule, now fully revised and expanded

Do you think that no one has the right to stand between you and your published writer dreams? That the publishing industry is going down in flames and self-publishers are going to rise like a 99c phoenix from the ashes? That all literary agents are interested in doing is blogging sarcastically about the rhetorical question at the start of your query letter, that editors will just use your submitted manuscript for kindling and that you'll be senile before you hear back from either of them? That once you've uploaded the book you finished yesterday afternoon to Amazon, it'll be mere minutes before the money starts rolling in and you can quit your day job? Do you say things like "gatekeepers", "The Big Six", "E.L. James", "legacy publishing" and "indie author" a lot? Are you self-publishing to "show them all"?

If you've answered yes to one or more of these questions then I do apologise, but this isn't the book for you.

This book is for writers who consider self-publishing to be a good Plan B, or even a sideline to traditional publication. Who want to do it the cheapest and easiest way possible while still producing a quality product. Who understand that much like Starbucks outlets and Nespresso coffee machines, traditional and self-publishing can peacefully co-exist. Writers who know that they don't have to sell a million copies of their book to start earning a living from their writing, but that they do have to work hard and treat it like a business. Who are blessed with common sense and live in the real world at least most of the time. Who find my jokes funny, at least occasionally.

If this sounds like you, then Self-Printed: The Sane Person's Guide to Self-Publishing may be just the "How To..." guide you were looking for.

It will tell you everything you need to know in order to publish a Print On Demand paperback and e-book, and (crucially) sell them, without sounding like anti-Big Publishing propaganda produced by the Ministry of Truth.

Be warned: you are now entering a No Saying "Gatekeepers" Zone...

PRAISE FOR SELF-PRINTED:

"An exceptional breath of realism, real knowledge and hard experience--don't dream of self-publishing your book without it. This is the self-publishing guide to read if you actually care about the quality of your writing and your readers." --Nicola Morgan, award-winning author of 90 books--including the Carnegie-nominated WASTED and WRITE TO BE PUBLISHED-- and the blog Help! I Need a Publisher!

"The best thing about Catherine is that she not only lives the dream, but offers you a stepladder up to join her. The advice she gives is utterly practical--because she's done what she describes--and the whole [book] is suffused with humour. I am a fan." --Alison Baverstock, author of IS THERE A BOOK IN YOU...? and senior lecturer on the Publishing MA at Kingston University (UK)

"The BEST book on self-publishing ... Seriously, GET THIS NOW!" --David Wright, co-author of the bestselling YESTERDAY'S GONE series

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

364 pages, Paperback

First published April 16, 2011

About the author

Catherine Ryan Howard is an internationally bestselling crime writer from Cork, Ireland. Her debut novel, DISTRESS SIGNALS, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey/New Blood Dagger. THE LIAR'S GIRL (2018) was shortlisted for the Edgar Award for Best Novel. REWIND (2019) was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year and is currently being developed for screen by Clerkenwell Films (Misfits, Lovesick, The End of the F***ing World.) THE NOTHING MAN was a no. 1 Irish Times bestseller and a no. 1 Kindle bestseller (UK) and was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year. Her latest novel, 56 DAYS, was published in August 2021. It is a thriller set in lockdown that Catherine wrote while she was in lockdown.

Prior to writing full-time, Catherine worked as a campsite courier in France and a front desk agent in Walt Disney World, Florida. She still wants to be an astronaut when she grows up.

Reviews

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have both the paperback of the second edition of this guide and the Kindle version of the third edition, but for this review I read the third. It is quite a meaty volume packed with information on the author's journey through self publication which spells out how to do the process yourself following in her footsteps. Allowances have to be made for the fact that things have moved on a bit, for example, CreateSpace has been superseded by Amazon KDP's own paperback printing service. So I would have had to deduct a star just because some of the information is now out of date. However, the bulk of the book would still be a fantastic resource for self publishers if not for a big problem.

As I discovered last year when reviewing her collection of blog posts, after becoming a traditionally published thriller writer, the author pulled everything to do with self publishing from her website, so the many links that would have provided explanations, references, etc are gone. This massively reduces the usefulness of the guide. Not only that, but also even the sole reference to the fact that she had ever been self published has now been expunged from the 'about' page on her website since I previously checked it in late June 2021. As well as totally transforming the website, she removed all ebook versions of her earlier books from Amazon (only second hand paperback copies are now available). This leaves a rather odd feeling when reading a guide which espouses the cause of self publishing so energetically, especially when the author makes it clear how much she still enjoyed blogging in 2014 when this edition was published, and that she would never give up doing it. I used to receive her emails and judging by the last one received, her final blog entry was dated 26 July 2019 so I must assume that she ceased blogging after that date.

Given all this, I'm afraid I must deduct an additional star giving an overall rating of 3 stars. People wanting an up-to-date guide which has live links to a wealth of useful material would be far better off reading David Gaughran's free 'Let's Get Digital' (fourth edition) which I awarded a full 5 stars.

[Samantha Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I give something 5 stars, it means that it's something that changed my life and gave me a different perspective. I reserve the elusive 5 stars for books like Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which I read when I was young and impressionable, or We Need to Talk About Kevin, which made me bawl when I wasn't pregnant. I gave this book 5 stars. That means that if you want to self-publish, you have to read this book. I might make it required reading for everyone who submits a request for a review from me. (No, I won't, but I might start lecturing people with page numbers from this book.)

To be quite honest, I knew most of what was in this book already. This is the book I wish I'd read several months ago, rather than having to scrape together bits and pieces of information from a variety of sources and many, many blog posts. However, as this book so asserts, there's a lot of bad information out there. Because I am terribly untrusting, six-months-ago-me wouldn't have read the book because I didn't want to waste money on something that may just be another "How I Won the Lotto of Publishing/Self-Publishing!" clone.

But believe me when I say this is the book that you need to read if you want some no-nonsense, hilariously delivered, intensely sane advice.

I have two dissenting opinions from Ms. Howard, which I will dispense in a moment, but I want to underline the fact that I agree with 98% of this book. To me, a lot of it is common sense, but as she notes, common sense doesn't seem so common. (Was that her or Mark Twain? Or both? I don't care, we're all correct.)

First dissenting opinion: Get Your Own ISBN's

Now, I will say that my opinion is different than hers because I get ISBN's for free. I've explained this to people before, and they seem confused. By free, I mean, without cost. I mean, I could get one hundred ISBN's, and they would cost me zero dollars. That is because I'm in Canada and I'm self-publishing as a Canadian "publisher." (They see self-publishers/self-employed writers and publishing companies as the same thing.) If you're in Canada and you want to get your free ISBN's, signing up is a simple process. Google the Canadian ISBN Service System and sign up.

That being said, I feel like having your own ISBN makes you seem more professional. Of course, I can afford to be professional since I get ISBN's free. But this is one place I think a self-publisher should be consider carefully. Just as any entrepreneur or self-employed business person, we have to think like the patrons of the big companies and give ourselves maximum discovery potential. I think ISBN's help accomplish that. My final caveat, in a section slathered in caveats, is that I haven't researched this very much because of the whole free thing. So I suggest you do the same and create your own opinion.

Second dissenting opinion: Don't use her chapter to format your eBook

I respect Ms. Howard, but her chapters on formatting your eBook made me cringe. It's not difficult or frustrating. Not even a little bit. But I will forgive her because she hasn't seen The Best Guide Ever Created:

Take Pride in your eBook Formatting by Guide Henkel (To which I also give 5 stars, for anyone interested.)

If you got at least a B- in Computer Science in high school, you should be able to figure it out. If you're not technically saavy, well, go ahead and hire him. He knows what he's talking about. But it's not hard. It took me a few hours on a Saturday to figure out how to do it. And now I'm sure it will take a lot less time now that I've been through it once. (As in, half an hour to an hour ... if that.)

In conclusion: Read this book

You will laugh. You will learn stuff. You will feel not so alone in this whole self-publishing journey. You'll go forth into the world, confident and professional and convinced of the importance of a matching blog color scheme.

Also posted on my blog, Magic & Mayhem Book Reviews.

[Dafna · Rating 4 out of 5]

So let's start about what this book is: This book is a guide and inside look at what it means to self publish. This is not a book on how to write, what to write, what sells, what doesn't sell, and it's not a book that shits on traditional publishing. Howard makes it very clear that this guide is for authors that want to self publish and also follow more traditional avenues of publishing.

As we all know, this interests me. ( Shameless plug: And I am a Goodreads author: Rodopi Sisamis )

One of the things that I was afraid of when I bought this book was that Howard was going to be one of those authors that was going to recommend that I sell my novels out of the trunk of my car, which I have absolutely no desire to do. I was delighted to find this book was right up my alley, and fit my purposes perfectly.
This book is incredibly informative. Most of the social media stuff that Howard writes about, I had already done, but there were many chapters that I found incredibly helpful. Publishing is a machine that consists of many small moving parts, and as an author when we go Indie, we are essentially our own everything. It pays to be informed and educated about how publishing works in general, from organization to money, to working with designers and editors. She covers where not to spend our money, and where we must spend our money.

I didn't agree with everything she said, but that's the beauty of this book. It isn't a how to, but a guide showing you how everything works and is supposed to work and what's expected of you as and author and your own publisher. It's a lot. Howard doesn't shy from detailing how much work and hours and how much PATIENCE, is needed to publish a book. Not to WRITE a book, but to "simply" publish it.

This is a gem of a reference book, Howard is funny and a bit sarcastic and harsh in some areas, but I think that's necessary because new authors are knuckleheads. We all were. We don't know what we're doing, and usually what we think we know about the industry is completely wrong, and we need someone to knock our heads together and get us back down to Earth.
I've been fortunate throughout the years to have mentors to guide me and burst my BS bubbles, so by the time I got my hands on this, I was beyond that point, but, I really did laugh along with Howard, and knew that she wasn't ball busting but being extremely honest and down to earth.

I'm recommending this book to anyone that is interested in publishing, or going the Indie route.

[R.m. Nicholls · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found this book so helpful. It is now dog-eared, covered in post-it flags and pencil notes. Also the spine is a bit broken from my putting a heavy weight on it to keep it open while formatting my book for kindle. I don't normally treat books this way - only the ones I truly love! I am referring back to it at the moment and have no doubt that I'll refer to it again and again.

I love Catherine Ryan Howard's tone of voice, which is friendly and reassuring. I also like the healthy dose of realism in the book - it's NOT another guide to becoming an e-book millionaire with the usual high-flown promises of instant success. Instead it deals with lots of practical stuff that can all seem overwhelming to a beginner. She deals with questions like: how to blog, what to blog, how to create a mailing list, how to create a Facebook fan page, how do you figure out what trim size you want at CreateSpace, what to do on release day… and so much more. She is clear throughout that she is only telling you how she did it - but for a first-timer it is a brilliant resource.

[D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and wish I had read it BEFORE I tried getting my first ebook published as a hard copy through Createspace.
Catherine walks you step-by-step through all the processes of self-publishing: writing, editing, cover design, interior formatting, blogging, marketing, social media, and so on.
And she does so in a way that is clear and witty.
She even tells you what typefaces and font points to use, whether to choose white or cream paper, and so on. Just her recommendation of free cover-design software is worth the whole book.
I got a lot out of this book even though significant chunks of it don't apply to me, because I:
-use Weebly instead of Wordpress.
-was using Open Office instead of Microsoft Office (although I have since acquired Word Office 2007 as Open Office requires too much tinkering for self-publishing).
-am not into any social media whatsoever.
-definitely use terms like "the Big (fill in current number)."
-am a firm believer in the concept of "Gatekeepers."
-had already read the 2nd edition.
-can't spend that much money on all the things she says you should.

So even if you're like me, you can still get tons out of this worthy 3rd edition.

She is so right about so much and if you follow her advice to the letter AND you're writing non-fiction, it seems to me that you will likely meet with her kind of success.
Her process will also work with fiction, but non-fiction is easier to sell and get started in (with maybe the exception of Romance and Mystery).
The only thing I disagree with is her preference for matte covers as opposed to glossy covers. But she explains WHY she prefers matte (because it doesn't show fingerprints), even though I personally feel books look significantly more professional with glossy covers.

But that's exactly what makes her book so useful: She not only tells you HOW she did everything but also WHY she did it.
So then you can figure out what's best for your book and your style.

Finally, she addresses the issues that non-Americans really need to know, like getting a tax discount and which English to use ("color" vs "colour," quotation mark placement, hyphenated words) and so on.

To sum up, Self-Printed is very clear and detailed and helpful - and most reassuringly of all, a pleasant and easy read.

[Sarina Langer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with so many books these days I came across this one in my library. The only difference being that this time, I was actively searching for a book on how to self-publish. Since we don’t have many books on the subject this one stood out rather easily so I took it out, read the whole thing and went on to buy my own (updated) copy.

If you’re a writer and you want to self-publish your book, this is the guide for you. It’s informative, covers everything you need and it’s funny. She has a brilliant sense of humour and speaks the same dialect of sarcasm as me, which made this entertaining on top of informative. It’s a great combination, let me tell ya!

Self-Printed was and still is a treasure-cove of information for me. It takes you through everything – from what to do once you’ve got the first draft done, over how to use Amazon to self-publish (and how to know whether you’re ready to take that huge step in the first place) right on to what to do afterwards. There are great ideas in there, including how to promote your book, how to use social media to your advantage, how to design your blog so that it doesn’t hurt the eyes of your readers, and how not to look self-published even though you are. Readers can be suspicious of self-published writers and often with good reason, so the last thing you want to do is look like you don’t know what you’re doing. You want to look like you’ve put in the same amount of effort a traditional publisher would put in, and this book tells you how to do that (without spending more money than necessary).

Oh, and did I mention she’s hilarious? It’s worth reading every single page just for the humour alone.

This book has answered a lot of questions for me. I’m pretty sure I owe her a coffee should I ever meet her in person, as well as a voucher for Starbucks. So, if you’re a new writer unsure about this self-publishing thing, this is the book for you. If you can’t afford to spend the money maybe you’re lucky and your local library has a copy or two. Having said that I do recommend you get your own copy – this is the kind of book you’ll keep coming back to and that’s much easier to do when you have a copy handy.

(it’s also pretty funny)

[Adam Henig · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this new era of publishing, the major houses fear their business models are nearing extinction, eclipsed by the self-publishing industry. Catherine Ryan Howard, the author of Self-Printed: The Sane Person’s Guide to Self-Publishing (2nd Edition), calls it, "self-printing."

The stigma of being an author who finances the publishing of his or her book has all but ceased to exist, according to Howard, a commercially successful self-published author. Self-Printed is a must-have for any would-be writer who’s flirting with bypassing the traditional channels of book publishing in favor of going out on their own—emphasis on the word “own.”

Vanity presses or “author houses” are not the solution either, she cautions. In most cases, these businesses charge hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to do a minimal amount of work to produce your book. When the company makes more revenue through its services to the author than on actual book sales, it begs the question of its usefulness.

What Howard ultimately argues, is that money out of your pocket spent sparingly and wisely—for example, hiring a professional editor and a graphic designer to create a book cover. With Amazon serving as your distributor and social media as your promoter, self-publishing has never been so affordable or simple. Don’t be fooled, though. There’s plenty of work to be done, she advises her readers. And that’s what the book is about.

Although at times Howard’s book can be a bit overwhelming for a new author, her charm and dry wit makes for an enjoyable read. If ever there was a book designed for DIY authors in these times, Self-Printed (2nd Edition) is at the top of the best.

Catherine Ryan Howard
Self-Printed: The Sane Person's Guide to Self-Publishing

[B.R. Maycock · Rating 5 out of 5]

They say that 'On Writing' is the Bible of writers. I would argue that there (for Irish readers anyway) is a holy trinity-three MUST READ books. The first, yes, is 'On Writing,' the second is The Writer and artist's yearbook, the third is Catherine Ryan Howard's Self Printed. I cannot recommend this book enough. It gives in depth detail on the nuts and bots of the self publishing process(though I think even if you weren't self publishing, this would be invaluable), telling you exactly how to put your book up on Amazon and Smashwords, how to promote, how to set up a blog, basically the whole journey. Purposely waited until I had finished putting the book up myself before I posted this review and I can tell you now that I used her step by step guide to get the book up, and she had every eventuality in terms of what someone could misinterpret fully covered. The guide for formatting of the document for e-book was excellent, though I will admit that although I have read it twice I haven't started working on the print version of the book. The promotion section contains a world of common sense, and the humour throughout means you actually WANT to read it-it's not like a how to guide at all. I would definitely get this a few months before the end of your book, and you can't go wrong(well you can, but only if you decide not to follow the advice given here). In summation: On Writing for the writing part, Self Printed for publishing and promotion, and The writer and artist's yearbook for a list of all publishers and agents and advice from industry heads. Cannot recommend enough.

[David Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read to research this post was Self Published by Catherine Ryan Howard which is an excellent book which I bought from kindle. Catherine has written several other books some of which are reviewed at http://oldscratbag.com. One of her books in particular called Mousetrapped which is about her experiences working at Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida is a really good book which has been quite popular and this book is about her experiences trying to sell that book & ebook. She suggests if you are looking to self publish a book try http://createspace.com who are good value. If you are looking for to sell ebooks try Kindle Direct Publishing at http://kdp.amazon.com & http://smashwords.com . Kindle of course is the most popular ebook site & smashwords sell your book on loads of different sites like kobo, nook & apple ibooks. You should price your to start with at £0.99 or similiar price in your local currency. Remember to start with people are taking a chance buying your book. As you release more books have the new one at £2.99 and the previous one either free or at £0.99. As people read your books hopefully they will like your writing style and buy other books from you. Also you want your books to be a reasonable length but not something like 900 pages. Stephen King gets away with it because he is an established author but you won't. Catherine writes with a witty style and her personality shows in her writing. I really enjoy reading her books.

[Jim Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm moving from writing books for traditional publishers, as I have in the past, to epublishing, and my habit is to read widely to educate myself about any new project. This book is, frankly, one of the best for two simple reasons.

One. She's done it. Recently. I'm appalled and somewhat shocked at the number of 'experts' who really haven't published much, but for Catherine Howard, it's an ongoing process. She's doing it as she writes about it. So she knows what she's talking about. That's good.

Two. She can write. She's funny and perceptive. Sometimes her humor may not be to your liking, but I think she's funny and appropriate---and I'm decades older than she is.

Her books aren't perfectly edited---and really, whose is?--but they are almost perfect. A couple of tiny usage quibbles here and there don't amount to anything.

If you're interested in the reality of self-publishing, a personal account of how it's working out for one young woman (who CAN write, and who DOES have the energy to follow through with all the ancillary stuff), I'd recommend this book.

Finally, I really like her dose of real-worldism. I'm primarily a musician, and in the music world, there are tons of wannabees, many of them with bad attitudes. I'm learning that the same thing is true of writers---and Ms Howard tells them the truth they need to hear. Bravo!

[P.C. Zick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had been on my kindle for a weeks. Two days ago, I finally opened the book to see if it was one that would help me. I had no intention of reading it because I was simply going to organize all my self-publishing help books. Instead, I found myself engrossed in the advice (once I became used to the author's sense of humor, which can be a distraction at times). I began incorporating some of the advice immediately especially about Wordpress. I learned about things that have puzzled me in my journey as a self-published author. I finished the book last night and have pages of notes on things I can do right now to help increase my presence online. The advice put things into perspective for me and drilled into me that the focus of my workday should be on creating that presence and writing my next book. The tasks I plan to begin incorporating today will not increase my work load, but simplify it. I don't always follow the advice given in the books and blogs I read, so the difference here is the down-to-earth way it is explained. It makes sense and helped me clear the fog I've been in since I started my self-publishing journey last March. I only wish I'd read the book back then. Some of the stories bogged down the reading for me, but I learned soon enough which ones to read and which ones to scroll through quickly.

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book after stumbling across the author's site and devouring the info there with increased interest. I found it to be a welcome dose of no-nonsense advice, covering the often daunting spectrum of information that a person needs in order to successfully self-publish/print.

Howard covers the editing process (yes, you need one, even if you think you don't), the murky world of vile, amateurish covers, e-book formatting, paperback publishing, pricing, Amazon, US tax issues, and much more. Her advice comes from - often bitter and hard won - experience and from years of research and immersion in the world of self-printing/publishing, on and offline.

While she does crack the whip - and this may put off more adamant, know-it-already, or deluded budding publishers - her advice and strict warnings are always given with a humorous sparkle - unless you really were thinking of not getting your book edited, then she'll break your arm (okay, she won't, but you'd deserve it). As someone who has been there and done it, you'd be well to heed her advice - it makes sense, after all.

Thoroughly enjoyable, humourous, packed with genuinely applicable, easy-to-follow information and advice, Self-Printed should be a staple of any newbie self-publisher's bookshelf.

[Darryl Pendergrass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catherine, in her book 'Self-Printed', provides solid advice to aspiring authors and independent publishers. The lessons she shares from her experience paralleled my personal experience closely. I just had to learn the harder way because I was unaware of her book at the time I worked on my own. I recommend that those aspiring to publish independently first read this book. You will minimize your headaches and get a big picture view along with some details for delivering a successful product.

In the chapter, How to Sell Self-Published Books, she answered some questions that I could not locate through other searches or material. The topic about the relationship between print-on-demand and brick and mortar bookstores.

The only minor shortcoming that I noticed, probably because of my technical bent, was coverage about graphics. Rather than provide details, Catherine relied on her graphic designer. Although available elsewhere, coverage of graphics (resolution, conversion, and other topics) would prove useful to those new to independent publishing.

I recommend Catherine's book for those considering taking the plunge into the independent publishing area.

[Demelza Carlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book (like most marketing books) and figured I'd take a look at the beginning. Catherine's style and no-nonsense approach as she published her first book in the same way I chose to made it automatically of interest to me, so I bought the whole book. After all, if her Createspace, Smashwords and Amazon experience was yielding her higher sales than mine, I wanted to know what she was doing right that I wasn't.

Now, she doesn't answer all the questions I had as clearly as I'd have liked, but there's still plenty to start working with. Perhaps this additional information is in her blog or another book - which I'm definitely going to hunt through after reading this book.

I only wish I'd seen this book a year ago - but now is better than never, as a lot of her advice is still relevant after publication.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone considering traditional or self-publishing, as it's very much about building an author platform, which every author needs.

Her advice on website design alone is worth the purchase price.

Of all the marketing books I've ever read, this also had to be the most entertaining.

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, but I just didn't. I wound up skimming most of it. The author is extremely opinionated, and in some cases I agreed with her opinions. Other times, not so much.
The good points:
1. Catherine Ryan Howard is funny as heck. There were some laugh-out-loud moments, an uncommon find in how-to books.
2. The author covers publicity and marketing much better than most of the other how-to-self-publish books I've read.
The bad:
1. The book is too long. At least twice, the author mentions writing in front of the TV, and it shows. She rambles. It's copy-edited, but a good content edit could have cut ½ to 1/3 of the length of this book, leaving the important information – and humor – intact.
2. Formatting. Ugh! Yes, you can get a reasonably well-formatted book by uploading a Word file to Smashwords and Kindle, but you can do so much better by using a good ebook formatting program or service. My version of this book lacked a navigable table of contents, a serious problem in a how-to book.
I wouldn't recommend this as a primer, but it's good if you want to up your marketing game or have a laugh about certain types of self-publishers and cheesy self-promoters.

[Joël Linger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book I'm reviewing in a short while of a writer I recently met. Well, I met and interviewed Geoffrey Robertson QC. As for Catherine, I can only say that I was present at a seminar where she was speaking. Nevertheless I did very much like this book.

It's very informative, exactly what I needed and the only thing I needed on this subject. She very kindly supplies a variation of other books and blogs you could visit but for me this isn't necessary. The seminar plus this book is more than enough. And it's funny as well.

For me a book or a film should either touch/move you or it should be highly entertaining. So for me The Dark Knight is entertaining, Selma got me blinking a few times and my favourite film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind makes me laugh and gets me sad at the same time. Self-Printed achieves exactly what it sets out to do and that's great. But somehow I still feel I can't give it a 5 star rating. Maybe because Catherine didn't make me cry nor can I say that she has entertained me as much as say Birdman did.

So in the end I would recommend everyone who is considering self-publishing to read this book. It's and absolute must!

[Sheena Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have this 2nd edition as an ebook (doesn't seem to be listed...) so I am going to review it briefly here.
Catherine Ryan Howard is like a mecca for all self-pub wanabies. We should all turn to Cork a couple of times a day and venerate. Her blog is always informative, and her tweets are fun and useful.
So no surprises that her book comes highly recommended. No one else that I know of has put together such a comprehensive how-to of getting one's own book published in such an entertaining fashion. The book is written in an informal, converstaional style, and the author's voice is very strong throughout. Normally, this would be a problem for me (I like my how-to books written like academic text-books - straight up info with no messing about) but this author's voice is so entertaining in of itself, it serves to make the sometimes painful experience of educating oneself in self-pubbing almost enjoyable.
I would go so far as to say, if you only read ONE self-pub book, make it this one.

[Caroline Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled across this book while searching for writing blogs online and I'm so glad I did. I immediately clicked with Catherine's writing style as her sense of humour, which is pretty akin in mine. (Being a fellow Irish woman I get it!). I also have an insane love of coffee and Catherine is someone I'd really like to share a hazelnut latte with. The practical advice in the book is invaluable. It did not all apply to me as I'm well on my way in my self publishing journey as my book is due out very soon, but I did read through it anyway and was interested to see where I've been getting it right and wrong (oops!) in all of this. And yes I agree constant 'buy my book' tweets are very annoying, I've never committed that sin!
Catherine if you read your reviews I'd like to say a big thank you for this book, I really enjoyed it. I hope to buy 'Mousetrapped' when I get some spare reading time. It's not the usual type of book I go for, but I have a feeling I will enjoy it.

[Ryan Slattery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Self-Printed is a step-by-step how-to on self-publishing both online (KDP and Smashwords) and physically.

While the step-by-step part is, I'm sure, super helpful, I skimmed those parts and bookmarked them for when I actually "get to that point." The marketing aspect of this book was what I read with most of my interest, and it gives a lot of useful information.

How to use Goodreads giveaways for maximum visibility was particularly interesting to me. I also started a blog because of this book. I'm an introvert by disposition, but this book helped me to see how to use social media despite my trepidation, as well as outlining a few mortal sins of social media to avoid alienating people.

My only regret in buying this book is that I hadn't done it a few months ago. Now I have to try and make up for lost time.

Great book. Highly recommended to all who are looking at self-publishing.

[Linda Parkinson-Hardman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is brilliant and it gave me so many great ideas and suggestions that I could apply and adapt to my own work too. In fact I wouldn't have found goodreads.com if it hadn't been for Catherine's book. I'd highly recommend it to anyone thinking about getting started on the whole self publishing / self printing journey.

As someone who has been down the self same road several times over the years and who has made all the mistakes and then some, it would have been great to have had it to hand at the beginning.

There is a 'however' though, and it's that some people may be put off by Catherine's style of writing and find her tone a bit 'superior'. If this is your experience just remember she is explaining how she did it, it won't work exactly the same for everyone and then get over it.

[Mina Lobo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Howard packs a lot of useful, possibly little-known info (to an author striking out on her own for the first time) (such as myself) into this book, painstakingly culled from her own experiences in self-publishing. As with her fabulous blog, her voice here is crisp, authoritative, and humorous - when a gal can successfully make me giggle as she's plodding through the tedious steps of e-book formatting, I gotta give her props. Though I disagree with her take on the Blogger.com platform and the term "indie author," I will keep stalking - ahem - following her blog 'cause the gal's got skillz and I'm grateful to have access to her caffeinated genius. If you're looking to release your work independently of a publishing company and you've no idea where to begin, I don't think you could ask for a better reference than "Self-Printed."

[Lena Goldfinch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for the 2nd edition, just released:

Self-Printed is both funny and so useful. (This and Let's Get Digital by David Gaughran are two must-reads for any author considering self-publishing, whether new material or re-issuing an out-of-print title.) There's a level of down-to-earth realism and practicality here, without the taint of "Big 6" cynicism or delusional, get-rich-quick promises. Just your average girl being levelheaded & realistic (and funny!), while sharing her own successes and failures in self-publishing. You read it to build your own to do list and find yourself chuckling along the way. I had to take notes & I intend to use them, already have.

[Ben Hodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a wealth of information about the in's and out's of self-publishing based on Catherine's real world experience. This takes you step by step, showing you how to build an author platform, get your book printed in both digital and paper formats, and how to use social media to extend your reach.

Highly recommended for authors trying to navigate the waters of self-publishing. My only hesitation in giving 5 stars is Catherine's very direct and sometimes a bit over-the-top tone as she speaks to you, the reader. It didn't bother me too much but I could definitely see it being a turn off for some readers. Don't let that stop you from checking this out. It's great.

[Marese Hickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a self-published author, naturally my first port of call when I needed to find out what I needed to find out was the library. I found the 2nd edition of Catherine's book very good and bought the 3rd edition. It is an excellent how-to technical manual with many witty asides. I highly recommend it. Just one caveat - because of the speed of change in the industry, any paperback version dealing with self-publishing/marketing your book will inevitably have some information that has gone out of date by the time you are applying it. But it is comforting to have a desktop reference book like this one, and you will be doing well if you implement all the advice given in it.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are thinking about self-publishing, read this. It has (oh joy!) details! So many details! What to click. What settings to use. How to make a copyright notice. Where to put things. Who to email. How to email them.

All that, and humor, too! Indispensable for the beginning self-printer. (And really, for many parts, for any author. Yes, if you're traditionally published the publisher will help with stuff. But you should be promoting too, and this book covers that really well.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Catherine Ryan Howard from a promotion she did for her book "Backpacked". She has a personable style and wry wit mixed with a little self-deprecating humor.
"Self-printed" is written in the same easy style and is packed with useful information. She takes information that could be dry as dust and breathes life into her words and makes it engaging and interesting. I had the feeling we were chatting over a cup of coffee (or several cups of coffee).
I follow her on Twitter now and read her blog. I'll likely buy her novel when it's released.

[Nathan Frechette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The BEST book on self-publishing and online book marketing out there. If you have to buy just one book on the subject, make it this one! It is FANTASTIC! It was actually hard to put down, and if you've ever read a non-fiction marketing and instructional book, you know that means that the writing was great. It was funny, compelling, and incredibly practical, without offering any magic formula. Every self-publisher should read this, and I would add that every micro-press should read it too, as well as any traditionally published author.

[Frankie Valente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely the Bible for anyone writer who is interested in self-publishing. Well written, easy to follow and hilarious too. Catherine does not take herself too seriously and as a result what she writes comes across with an honesty and directness that you don't always find in this type of book. It also makes you take a long hard look at your own work, which as she points out is essential if you want to achieve any kind of publishing success.

[Tara Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd definitely recommend this as a top resource to anyone looking to publish their own novel. It's got well-laid out, practical advice with stern but disarming delivery.

Note: This is not a "How to publish any book anywhere on any platform a million different ways" book. It's about how Catherine Ryan Howard became a successful self-publisher - specifically what she used and what she learned throughout. And that's a good thing.

[Jillianne Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kind of wish I purchased the paperback version of this book instead of the ebook because then I'd be able to highlight all of the things. But I'll just have to have the ebook open while I venture into indie publishing. Catherine's book covers everything involved in the publishing process- cover, template, ebook conversion, book keeping, marketing and more. This is no 30-page booklet- this is a hefty how-to manual. I'll definitely be going back to this bad boy soon.